U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015/0001005 to Goodson discloses a folding step stool that is mounted and stored within a cabinet. When not in use, the entirety of the folding step stool may be disposed within an interior of the cabinet to permit closure of the cabinet door. When required, the cabinet door may be opened and the step stool may be deployed to provide one or more steps for use in accessing a counter or sink above the cabinet. If the cabinet is a non-standard height, Goodson requires the use of adjustable feet having a threaded screw on the lower end of each leg.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,470 to Carle describes a ladder assembly which can be slidably withdrawn from and deployed out of the integral housing, remaining slidably joined to said housing while said housing is fastened to an independent support structure, pivoted upon the integral hinge and axle pivot mechanisms, have the ladder legs contact the floor in an angular relationship, and provide at least one rigid and sturdy step or rung horizontally spanning the distance between said ladder legs a desired distance from the floor and essentially parallel thereto upon which a user can place one or both feet, stand, and thereby conveniently reach places or objects located above an elevation that could be reached while standing on the floor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,492 to Caminiti teaches a collapsible folding step-stool which is mountable to a cabinet door. The step stool has a bracket mountable to the cabinet door; a platform movable between a lowered, generally horizontal, operative position and a raised, generally vertical, inoperative position; a plurality of parallel arms attached at their first ends to the platform and pivotally coupled at their second ends to the bracket; and a plurality of parallel support legs movable between a generally vertical operative position perpendicular to the platform and a generally vertical inoperative position parallel with the platform and the bracket. The support legs have upper ends pivotally coupled to the platform and lower ends which, when the platform is in the operative position, are adapted to rest on the floor with the lower ends of the legs at a lower elevation than the bottom of the bracket.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,136,386 to Horvath et al. describes a foldaway step mounted inside the door of a kitchen cabinet and arranged to be folded away flat against the inside of the door when not in use. The step is arranged to slide up and down on a plate attached to the inside of a cabinet door so that when moved upward it can be folded flat and locked in position inside the door and when moved downward and unfolded it comes into engagement with the floor below the door in whatever position to which the door has been opened and provides a solid step which does not provide any strain on the door itself when used as a step.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,030,166 to Richards et al. discloses a cabinet and stepladder which does not utilize the cabinet storage space when in the folded position. The stepladder has lower and upper steps pivotally moved on rods so that their adjacent edge portions move into interfitting engagement along a joint. The legs are pivotally connected to opposite sides of the steps adjacent the forward edges of the steps by pivot rods which are positioned within grooves in the forward edges of the steps. The rods are secured to the legs as to permit pivotal movement of the legs.
In the previously described foldable steps, they must be precisely installed or require adjustment of leg lengths after installation. Moreover, they do not automatically position themselves to have legs in full contact with the floor while maintaining horizontal steps. It is an object of this invention to at least provide a novel foldable step capable of automatically adjusting its height to different cabinet heights without requiring adjustment. The cupboard door does not provide any structural support to the foldable step. It only houses and stores the step hidden when not in use.